Latest news with #Kaif
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘Considering white-ball criteria for one but not the other': BCCI's Shreyas Iyer decision slammed for double-standard
The non-selection of Shreyas Iyer for India's upcoming Test tour of England has disappointed many in the Indian cricket fraternity, who believed that the Mumbai batter had earned a spot in the Test team after a hot run of form across formats in recent months. Despite his importance to India's triumphant ICC Champions Trophy campaign and excellent form across domestic, First Class and IPL cricket, Iyer continues to be on the outside of India's plans in Test cricket. Another individual who voiced his disappointment regarding this situation was former international Mohammed Kaif, who pointed out the double-standard of the IPL being used as a basis of form for certain selections in the Test team, but not being a consideration for Iyer despite his own strong IPL season. Kaif highlighted the pick of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat Titans batter Sai Sudharsan. "Sai Sudharsan is a brilliant player, no doubt. But he was picked in the Test squad after a good IPL season (679 runs and counting),' said Kaif on his YouTube channel. 'Iyer, meanwhile, has been doing well for so long. He scored some 550 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup and in the Champions Trophy as well. He is still doing a terrific job with the bat for Punjab Kings – 514 runs and counting. He is captaining too. So on one hand, you are considering white-ball criteria for one player and not for the other,' said Kaif regarding the selection. Iyer was one of the players who was in-demand amongst fans and pundits to be on the tour of England despite his struggles against the red ball in SENA conditions, particularly due to his improvements in technique against the short ball, as well as the experience and the leadership quality he could bring to the table. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both recently retired from Test cricket, this was seen as a must-have. Nevertheless, despite his average of 68.57 in this prior season's Ranji Trophy campaign as well as his streak of run-scoring in white ball for India and Punjab Kings, Iyer missed out on Gautam Gambhir's team yet again. This follows after he was removed from the BCCI's central contract list in 2024, and although he was reinstated this year, his absence has caused a response from many within Indian cricket.
India Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Retain fully fit players next time: Mohammad Kaif's scathing verdict on LSG
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that Lucknow Super Giants should focus on investing in fit and consistently available players, rather than spending big money on stars with a history of injuries. LSG were knocked out of the Indian Premier League 2025 playoffs race after a six-wicket defeat against SunRisers bowling unit failed to deliver on the day, unable to contain the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen, as the visitors cruised to a record chase of 206 runs at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. After the match, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant blamed the team's unsettled bowling line-up for the defeat and admitted that the absence of their frontline bowlers proved costly this Kaif reacted to Pant's comments, suggesting that LSG should prioritise retaining players who are likely to stay fit through the season, rather than investing heavily in injury-prone of the mega-auction in 2024, LSG had retained Nicholas Pooran (Rs 21 crore), Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 11 crore), Mayank Yadav (Rs 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (Rs 4 crore), and Ayush Badoni (Rs 4 crore).However, both of their retained fast bowlers — Mayank and Mohsin — were ruled out for most of the season. While Mayank Yadav played just two matches in IPL 2025, he returned well below his best, bowling at reduced pace and averaging 50 across his appearances."I would rather pay money to retain players who can play the full season. LSG's entire bowling attack is injury-prone. I'm not saying injuries don't happen, but for players who are more susceptible to them — stop retaining them for big money. Instead, pick them up at the auction," Kaif said after the Monday, May 19, LSG were officially eliminated from the playoffs race. It marked their fourth consecutive loss in what has turned out to be a disastrous second half of the season. With two matches left, Lucknow will now look to end their campaign on a positive updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment!Must Watch IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
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First Post
15-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Virat Kohli 'wanted to continue' in Tests but may have lacked BCCI support: Mohammad Kaif
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has suggested that Virat Kohli was keen to continue playing Test cricket but may not have received the necessary backing from the BCCI. read more Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket due to a lack of support from the management or the selectors. Kaif added that Kohli was very much interested in continuing his Test career and whatever happened behind the scenes led to his sudden retirement. Kohli, who is known for his love for Test cricket, stunned the cricketing world after calling it quits in Test cricket on 12 May, a little over one month before the five-match Test series in England. Kohli retired just a few days after Rohit Sharma also decided to retire from Test cricket. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Kohli did not get BCCI's support' Kaif, however, is not convinced Kohli took the decision on his own . He feels the lack of support the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee forced him to retire from tests, as by playing in the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi earlier, the 36-year-old had shown that he was ready to continue in the five-day format . 'I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI, the selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is very difficult to guess what actually took place behind the scenes,' Kaif told news agency IANS. 'But given the last minute decision, having played the Ranji trophy, I definitely think he wanted to come back in the upcoming Tests. The developments in the last few weeks, he may have not gotten the support he thought he will get from BCCI and selectors which he may not have gotten,' he added. Poor Australia tour could have driven Kohli to retirement Further explaining Kohli's decision, Kaif added that the poor performance in Australia, where he constantly got out in slips, must have also played a role. 'In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past but the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive, made me feel his patience was a bit less,' Kaif said. 'Maybe he was thinking 'I am in the last phase of my career what's the point of scoring a gritty century, there used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, he used to leave the balls, take his time, tire the bowlers and then took them down but I did not see that from him in Australia'.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'That one method of dismissal at the slips perhaps shows that he was not ready to spend hours at the crease. The communication from BCCI and the self-realization in red-ball cricket may have led to the decision,' he added. Kohli scored just 190 runs in nine innings at 23.75 on the Australia tour.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
‘I believe RCB can win IPL 2025': Mohammad Kaif backs Rajat Patidar's men for maiden silverware
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 resuming on May 17. Rajat Patidar-led team is currently on a four-match winning streak and just one win away from sealing their Playoffs berth. While the franchise's fans are backing them to win their maiden title this year, former RCB and India player Mohammad Kaif has also shown his belief in the team. Kaif praised the entire team and Rajat Patidar's captaincy. He also appreciated performances by batters, especially Virat Kohli, and the contribution that bowlers have made in this season. RCB made it to the playoffs nine times in the history of the league. They reached three IPL finals in the years 2009, 2011, and 2016, but are yet to win their maiden trophy. 'If we talk about RCB as a team, they have been fantastic. I am emphasising the word 'team' because they have always been a batting-heavy team," Mohammad Kaif expressed. "However, this time Rajat Patidar has done a fantastic job of using his bowlers, restricting opponents while defending 170-180. Kohli has continued doing what he does best… but the bowlers have given them the belief that they can win," Kaif hailed the captain and bowlers. "The team with the best all-round side usually has the best chance, so I believe they can win it this year,' Kaif concluded as quoted by The Times of India. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are currently ranked second in the IPL 2025 Points Table. They have 16 points from 8 wins out of the 11 matches. Their NRR is +0.482. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have three matches remaining and they need to win just one game to seal their place in the top four with 18 points. They will be geared up to make it to the top two by winning two or more matches. If RCB loses all three matches then their qualification will be dependent on the other team's result and NRR as they will remain with 16 points. Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Bengaluru) - 17th May 2025 (Saturday) Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (Bengaluru) - 23rd May 2025 (Friday) Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Lucknow) - 27th May 2025 (Tuesday)
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Kohli 'got no support' from BCCI selectors, was told 'his spot is no longer there': They cited his form in last 5 years
Virat Kohli's Instagram post on Monday, which garnered close to 18 million engagements in the last 48 hours, did not provide any information on why he suddenly decided to retire from Test cricket. The BCCI and its selectors, too, are numb. Hence, the announcement, which happened just days before the scheduled selection meeting for the England Test tour, sparked a plethora of speculations. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif reckoned Kohli had his plans intact for the England series, which will begin on June 20, and his claim was based on Kohli's commitment to play in the Ranji Trophy after returning from the Australia tour. However, he felt that Kohli lacked support from the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, who expressed concerns around his recent form and questioned his place in the Test line-up. 'I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI, the selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is very difficult to guess what actually took place behind the scenes.' "But given the last minute decision, having played the Ranji trophy, I definitely think he wanted to come back in the upcoming Tests. The developments in the last few weeks, he may have not gotten the support he thought he will get from BCCI and selectors which he may not have gotten," Kaif was quoted by NDTV. The 36-year-old did experience a dip in form in the last five years, managing just 2028 runs in 68 innings with three centuries. The struggle even saw his career average drop to 46. Kohli showed signs of a comeback in the tour of Australia, where he scored a smashing ton in the Perth opener last November, but managed just 90 runs more in the rest of the tour as India lost 1-3. Kaif felt Kohli's uncharacteristic approach in Australia was a sure indication that he was done with the format. "In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past but the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive, made me feel his patience was a bit less," he added. "Maybe he was thinking 'I am in the last phase of my career what's the point of scoring a gritty century, there used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, he used to leave the balls, take his time, tire the bowlers and then took them down but I did not see that from him in Australia'." "That one method of dismissal at the slips perhaps shows that he was not ready to spend hours at the crease. The communication from BCCI and the self-realization in red-ball cricket may have led to the decision," he elaborated.
